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[DrStephenStrange]

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[878956]

You have a good shot. 5 interviews at an average of 20% chance of acceptance at each school, grant you at least one acceptance. Best of luck!

 

[21Rush12]

You're likely conscious, so Caribbean will take you.

@Goro is the DO person I usually defer to about these. You might also try our "what are my chances" subsection.

I admire your devotion, and I really hope the best for you.


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[altblue]

just make sure you take DO over Caribbean MD

 

[SoppyElk]

DO >>>> Caribbean. Do your best on your interviews and then see what happens. Hopefully it'll all work out. Good luck!

 

[Mwooster]

You have a good shot. 5 interviews at an average of 20% chance of acceptance at each school, grant you at least one acceptance. Best of luck!

That is the "math" I use when I try to simply explain probability to the mathematically challenged. If a good applicant has about a 2% acceptance rate at any med school, and this "prototypical" applicant applies to 20 schools, you get the 40% national average of getting accepted at least 1 school. The "real math" shows it's about 55%, which is close enough to 40%.

However, your n=5, so this estimation method is way off. It's not 100% chance for at least 1 acceptance, but about 67% based on your numbers of 5 interviews at an average of 20% chance of acceptance at each school.

 

[infectiousdisease101]

You have a good shot. 5 interviews at an average of 20% chance of acceptance at each school, grant you at least one acceptance. Best of luck!

This math made me lose some brain cells.

Schools interview 5x as many students as space they have available for the same reason we apply to dozens of schools: cast a wide net because a student can choose to attend another school.

As for the real math, keep in mind most don't get one interview. Making it to interviews means you and a relatively few others made it this far. Chances are the people who are interviewing at one of those 5 schools are interviewing one of the remaining 4 as well. As long as you don't bomb the interviews you're good to go.

 

[Sharknad0]

Please don’t go Caribbean, and as a fellow Missourian I’m proud of how far you’ve come. You definitely have a chance with the DO schools but DO NOT GO TO THE CARIBBEAN. The DO schools will get you where you want to be in life and if Loyola takes you that’s also amazing.


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[DrStephenStrange]

Thank You for all your insight guys. I really consider myself lucky for getting 4 DO interview invites even after taking the MCAT so many times. I really wasn't even expecting one. I applied just because I had the money saved and because I was kinda feeling down and desperate, and I didn't wanna go down without even trying. So here I am now with 4 DO interviews. I hope I can make it to at least one. Now is there anything (any advice) that you guys think I need to know about the interviews? or any specifics about the schools I got IIs from? Also, one more thing, I know going to the Caribbean is a big risk, but from what I've heard SGU is the best in the Caribbean in terms of sending students back to the U.S. Is there any reason why if I don't get accepted in the U.S. I shouldn't go there as a last resort?

 

[Kisangani]

Thank You for all your insight guys. I really consider myself lucky for getting 4 DO interview invites even after taking the MCAT so many times. I really wasn't even expecting one. I applied just because I had the money saved and because I was kinda feeling down and desperate, and I didn't wanna go down without even trying. So here I am now with 4 DO interviews. I hope I can make it to at least one. Now is there anything (any advice) that you guys think I need to know about the interviews? or any specifics about the schools I got IIs from? Also, one more thing, I know going to the Caribbean is a big risk, but from what I've heard SGU is the best in the Caribbean in terms of sending students back to the U.S. Is there any reason why if I don't get accepted in the U.S. I shouldn't go there as a last resort?

I got into SGU and a DO school a couple of years ago (2015 cycle) and I almost went to SGU (sent my deposit and bought a plane ticket). Fortunately I got off the waitlist at a stateside MD program a couple weeks before classes started and matriculated there, but I would still have gone to SGU over DO if given the opportunity to do so again. They seem to do well with graduate placements and have been around for a long time (several academic physicians at my current medical school are graduates). Granted, I am not from the United States originally and if I were to ever return to my home nation (Zimbabwe) a DO would have limited to no recognition, so this was something that greatly influenced me.

 

[Coltuna]

I am not from the United States originally and if I were to ever return to my home nation (Zimbabwe) a DO would have limited recognition, so this was something that greatly influenced me.

I would add this to the beginning of posts regarding DO vs Caribbean from now on lol.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

I got into SGU and a DO school a couple of years ago (2015 cycle) and I almost went to SGU (sent my deposit and bought a plane ticket). Fortunately I got off the waitlist at a stateside MD program a couple weeks before classes started and matriculated there, but I would still have gone to SGU over DO if given the opportunity to do so again. They seem to do well with graduate placements and have been around for a long time (several academic physicians at my current medical school are graduates). Granted, I am not from the United States originally and if I were to ever return to my home nation (Zimbabwe) a DO would have limited recognition, so this was something that greatly influenced me.

That's the same mindset I had. I am interested in primary care, and I would like to practice in the U.S., but I would like to kinda go back and forth to Haiti and help my home nation as well because the people there are in pretty bad shape, and I don't think they care where I get my degree from as long I can help them out.

 

[SoppyElk]

That's the same mindset I had. I am interested in primary care, and I would like to practice in the U.S., but I would like to kinda go back and forth to Haiti and help my home nation as well because the people there are in pretty bad shape, and I don't think they care where I get my degree from as long I can help them out.

You're 1000X more likely to graduate and become a physician coming from a DO school than from a Caribbean school. That's a fact. Remember you can't actually practice and either people either here or back home if you didn't graduate.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

That's the same mindset I had. I am interested in primary care, and I would like to practice in the U.S., but I would like to kinda go back and forth to Haiti and help my home nation as well because the people there are in pretty bad shape, and I don't think they care where I get my degree from as long I can help them out.

But I would like to add that I would definitely prefer DO over SGU though, simply because DO have better residency placements. So for now I am only concentrating on those 4 DO interviews. I will only interview for SGU after I hear from those DO schools.

 

[DokterMom]

You have a compelling personal story, having survived that horrible earthquake and lost friends and family there. If that was your inspiration for medicine and you want to work with an underserved population, that will be very appealing to a number of schools. Hopefully your activities will support this narrative -- Have you volunteered within the Haitian community? inner city or impoverished areas?

The easiest point to eliminate your application from consideration is pre-interview. Your GPA is quite good, and your latest two MCAT attempts are "just good enough". The two before were "so clooose!" --

Honestly, I think someone's going to take a chance on you -- Best of luck

 

[WedgeDawg]

1. moving to WAMC

2. You have very unique life experiences and have risen to the challenges that life has presented to you, which usually makes for a desirable applicant as you show very hardy and adaptable traits. There are plenty of schools that are likely interested in you, even with your lower MCAT scores (you are the type of person who is usually successful in the admissions process with a <10th percentile MCAT score). I highly recommend against a Caribbean school for reasons that can easily be found on this forum (check the Essential SDN Wisdom sticky thread for some good starting things to read).

 

[dial1010usa]

No Caribbean
DO and MD>>>yes

Why didn't you apply at Touros?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

No Caribbean
DO and MD>>>yes

Why didn't you apply at Touros?

Because I've read somewhere that they would immediately reject you if your MCAT is Low.

 

[dial1010usa]

Because I've read somewhere that they would immediately reject you in your MCAT is Low.

If you like Touro Nevada apply there and you can thank me later. Your last MCAT is within their range. Your GPA is great so does your story. Henderson is a great place to live and not too expensive but it gets hot in the summer.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

I just wanted to update you guys on my situation this cycle. So in total I received 9 interview invites (yeah to my greatest surprise), and I will definitely not go to the Caribbean because last week I got my first acceptance in a U.S. DO school (ARCOM). I was also waitlisted at KCU, and still waiting on decisions from ATSU-KCOM and Mizzou Med. I'm going to cancel the 4 other interviews I have left (BCOM, WCUCOM, VCOM-SC, PNWU). Thank you to everyone that gave me some great advice and still believed I could do it when I didn't. In the end, all my effort was worth it, and I'm so glad I didn't give up or go straight to the Caribbean. Life is just full of surprises.

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